Several said they thought Nevaeh had not been in the neighborhood for long. One person who resides near the two-story house where Nevaeh lived with her father and his fiancée said she had seen the girl play outside on a few occasions.

Residents in the quite middle-class neighborhood, off Union Avenue and down the street from Mount Vernon Avenue Elementary School, were largely unaware of what law enforcement have classified as the township’s 15th homicide this year.

Only one nearby resident, who would not give her name, knew of Nevaeh’s death, having been told by a neighbor who had noticed police and emergency medical personnel around the home on Nov. 21.

Nevaeh died on Nov. 25th, four days after being taken to Beth Israel Hospital in Newark.

An autopsy determined that she died of blunt force trauma to the head. The regional medical examiner said that Nevaeh appeared to have been beaten on at least one other occasion, the prosecutor’s office said.

EMS and township police had received a call about an unresponsive child at the home. It is unclear who called the police to say Nevaeh was in trouble.

Law enforcement, including the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and township police, have not filed charges in the death. Both agencies said detectives in the joint investigation are diligently working the case. Officials from the state’s Department of Children and Families are also investigating.

Anyone who might have information on the incident are asked to contact the prosecutor’s homicide squad at (877) 847-7432, or township police detectives, at (973) 399-6600.